History of War

History of War is nothing if not rich in variety – each issue we try to bring you an eclectic mix of military history from across the centuries. This issue, however, we have surpassed ourselves – if I don’t say so myself. You can find everything from

Bob (MBE), 99, served with the 6th Airborne Division’s 3rd Parachute Squadron RE during the Second World War, and now lives at Royal Hospital Chelsea. Jumping into Normandy on D-Day and helping blow the bridge across the River Dives at Robehomme, Bob

Bill, 98, from Suffolk, served with the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment in Normandy. Following a hair-raising flight gripping onto the top of a Tetrarch tank inside a Hamilcar glider, Bill landed on LZ N near Ranville on the evening of

Danny Mason, 94, from Shropshire, volunteered to become a paratrooper as soon as he was able, going through all the rigorous training that this entailed to wear the famous maroon beret. He was posted to the 8th Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne

The inventor Charles F Kettering assembles an “aerial torpedo” that is supposed to have a range beyond 100km and carry an internal warhead that weighs 82kg. The US Army embraces the prototype but the slow pace of development and further testing dooms

Years before war engulfed Europe in the summer of 1939 serious advances were made in the assembly and operation of unmanned aircraft. A startling success from the USA, given the Great Depression and minimal support from the armed forces, were the mas

In the 15 years since the doomed Operation Aphrodite the development of unmanned or uninhabited aircraft leapt into the space age. The US Air Force, awash in R&D funding and supported by the world’s largest aerospace industry, steered multiple progra

In the summer of 1982 events in the Levant – the region comprising Israel, Lebanon and Syria – took a turn for the worse. A botched assassination attempt in London on the Israeli ambassador Shlomo Argov, a mission that some believed was orchestrated

Special forces veteran and researcher Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Lushenko, currently a PhD student at Cornell University, discusses why historical experience, perceptions and technology are changing how military drones are used in different parts of the

Overcrowded living quarters. Years away from home. Ritualised floggings. Daily risk of injury and death. On the surface, there wasn’t much to recommend joining Lord Nelson’s navy. And yet thousands did, operating the ships that would win countless en

Winston Churchill was one of the most iconic and important statesmen of the 20th century. He is most famous for leading Britain through the Second World War, after he became prime minister in 1940. His speeches in parliament and elsewhere during the

In 25 June 1807, a raft with a specially constructed single-storey structure on it was floated out into the middle of the Neman River near Tilsit in what is today Lithuania. It consisted of a roofed, lavishly furnished salon that was decorated with f

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As a child, Alexander was introduced to powerful progressive ideas about liberalism and the Enlightenment by his republican-minded tutor Fréderic La Harpe. La Harpe’s teachings, though, focused on abstract principles typical of the time rather than t

News arrived by radio and runner. With first light broken across Dieppe and the surrounding area, much of the South Saskatchewan Regiment remained checked at the 24-metre bridge over the Scie River. Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt, his moustache doi

In 1780, the American War of Independence had been raging for five years and the British were no nearer to subduing their former colonists. Fighting in the north had seen the British win many battles but also suffer serious setbacks. Now, they were r

After landing near Charleston, on Simmons Island, on 11 February, British troops are ferried across the Ashley River on flat-bottomed boats, next landing on the Charleston peninsula on 29 March. The British begin constructing their first parallel of

Germany entered the Second World War with a range of twinengined medium bombers, and by far the most successful was the Junkers Ju 88. It was fast (nearly 300mph/480kmh with bomb load), manoeuvrable and had a highly versatile airframe. Like all Germa

www.worldofwarships.eu World of Warships is a free-to-play naval action, massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with a focus on the epic large-scale sea battles of the first half of the 20th century. To celebrate Father’s Day, World of Warships is g

English Heritage highlights Polish SOE operatives On the 80th anniversary of Audley End House becoming the principle training facility for Polish SOE operatives, English Heritage has unveiled a new display Located outside Saffron Walden, Essex, Audle

Running from 23-24 July, 2022, the Battle of Shrewsbury living history weekend is set to recognise one of the bloodiest confrontations on British soil. The free two-day event, which takes place on part of the original battlefield, transports visitors

Once located aboard HMS Victory, an original copy of Arthur William Devis’ The Death of Nelson has undergone elaborate restoration. The artwork, which is a contemporary version by the artist that was created for – and won – a competition in 1805, dep

On 4 June Hitler travelled to Finland, ostensibly to celebrate the birthday of Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, the nation’s commander-in-chief, but also to request greater Finnish support in the war against the Soviet Union. At the meeting held

Author: Gordon Williamson Publisher: Osprey Publishing Price: £30 Released: Out now Gordon Williamson has produced an already impressive catalogue of books related to various aspects of the Wehrmacht, particularly its naval forces. This latest offeri

Author: Christopher Kerr Publisher: The Book Guild Price: £10.99 Released: Out Now Why did Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, really fly to the UK in 1941? Did the Führer really die in the bunker in 1945? Is there a secret web of neo-Nazis still functioni

Author: Paul Miller-Melamed Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: £22.99 (Hardback) Released: June 2022 The global crisis that plunged the world into violent confrontation in 1914 did not randomly arise in some murky backwater, far removed from t

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Commissioned by Charles II and James, Duke of York (then Lord High Admiral and later James II), the Solebay Tapestry commemorates the Battle of Solebay fought off the coast of Suffolk on 28 May, 1672. The outcome proved inconclusive, with an alliance

Antony Beevor is one of the UK’s leading military historians. His reputation for meticulous research and gripping narrative was firmly sealed with his hugely successful book Stalingrad. Although he largely specialises in the Second World War, he has